The Launch Roadmap
Every phase. Every task. Every owner.
This is the same roadmap our implementation team runs on every engagement — six phases from contract signature to app-store approval over an indicative eight to twelve weeks, with each task marked by who owns it. We publish it because you should know exactly what you're signing up for before you sign anything.
Throughout this roadmap, "us" means three named roles assigned to you at kickoff — an Implementation Project Manager (your single point of contact), a Product Designer and an Integration Engineer. You receive named individuals, not a ticket queue, and they stay with you start to finish.
- 01
Week 1
Kickoff & scoping
A 60-minute kickoff call sets the whole programme. We assign your named team — an Implementation Project Manager (your single point of contact), a Product Designer and an Integration Engineer — and bring the full decision list so nothing surfaces late.
- UsAssign your named PM, Product Designer and Integration Engineer — the same people, start to finish
- UsRun the kickoff call; produce and chase the decision list; provide the API sandbox and full technical documentation (integration guide, OpenAPI spec, webhook schemas)
- YouConfirm four contacts: project owner (decision-maker), developer, content/marketing, billing
- YouApp name, store listing details, and store countries — we advise on what displays best
- YouHow readers sign in: Eden-managed email-code login (zero development work on your side) or integration with your existing login
- YouHow purchases unlock: a pre-built connector for common platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce and others), or a custom API integration
- YouMonetisation: web checkout, in-app purchase, subscriptions, or a mix — decided per product; Apple price tiers and currency handling (default: let Apple and Google convert)
- YouApple Small Business Program application (15% commission instead of 30% under $1M — we flag eligibility and guide the application)
- YouPrivacy policy, EULA and a login/support domain (e.g. login.yourbrand.app) — generators are acceptable; we point you at the standard templates
The most important output of kickoff is not a plan — it is the list of open questions. Late decisions are the most common source of delay, which is why every one of them is asked in week one.
- 02
Weeks 2–3
Design & branding
You send the brand assets you already have; our designer produces app screen options for you to choose between. One consolidated feedback round is included, and a written design sign-off is the gate before development configures anything.
- YouProvide brand assets: logo (vector/SVG), favicon, imagery or brand guidelines, hex colours, fonts, a short intro statement, and app icon direction (it must work at 29 pixels)
- UsProduce UI screen options from your assets; produce store screenshots from the approved design
- YouReview within three working days with one consolidated round of feedback (further rounds available at day rate)
- YouDesign sign-off — the first of your three gates
- UsConfigure the platform with the approved branding; ensure privacy policy and EULA are visible in-app beside purchase buttons
- 03
Weeks 2–6
Technical integration
The longest phase, run in parallel with design. For most publishers whose website runs on a common platform, the pre-built connector means little or no development work on your side. Where you keep your own login or a custom-built site, your developer works with our Integration Engineer against a sandbox.
- UsConnect your website via a pre-built connector for common platforms, or scope the custom integration (subscription webhook, order and user management endpoints)
- YouIf integrating your existing login: expose the standard OIDC endpoints and OAuth flows (our integration guide lists exactly which)
- UsValidate the full journey end-to-end: purchase → entitlement → unlock, in the sandbox before anything touches production
- YouYour developer's availability at the start of this phase is the single biggest factor in the timeline
The three causes of delay we see, in order: a developer who isn't available when the phase starts; unexpected complexity in existing login or ecommerce setups; and decisions deferred from week one. All three are manageable — when they're named early.
- 04
Weeks 4–7
Content & configuration
You send the files you already have; we do the ingestion. Every title gets DRM protection (Readium LCP, the open standard — no proprietary lock-in), pricing, and its place in the app's discovery and navigation.
- YouProvide validated EPUB 3 files (ideally 3.3, accessibility-compliant), audiobook MP3s with chapter markers, ONIX 3.0 metadata (a CSV is acceptable), and covers named isbn.jpg
- YouPricing strategy: match your website? bundles? free previews? — and the purchasing flow per product (web checkout at 0% store fee vs in-app purchase at 15–30% commission but less friction)
- UsIngest the catalogue, apply Readium LCP DRM, configure pricing, discovery and navigation
- YouReview the ingested catalogue and confirm the launch list
We don't remediate source files — if an EPUB needs work we'll tell you exactly what and why before anything starts, so there are no surprises mid-phase.
- 05
Weeks 7–8
Staging & testing
A staging environment mirrors production. We test every purchase event, every subscription state — activation, renewal, expiry, revocation, grace, pause — every sign-in flow, every device, and DRM unlocks, then hand you a written test report. We will not sign off until every critical path passes.
- UsRun the full test battery across iOS, Android and web; deliver the written test report
- UsSet up your Admin hub access (pages + analytics) and configure reader support: Eden-managed first-line via a branded portal, or client-managed with Eden taking escalations — with the escalation channel, per-severity SLA and coverage hours confirmed in writing
- YouUser-acceptance testing: test as a reader would, and send issues as you find them rather than accumulating a list
- YouStaging sign-off — pricing, content and the joint staging review together form the gate for store submission
- 06
Weeks 8–12
App store & go-live
We build and submit to both stores under your own developer accounts, monitor the reviews, and handle any rejection ourselves. Google review typically takes days; Apple takes longer — so Android and the web app are usually live first, and your readers can be in the web app while Apple deliberates.
- UsBuild and submit to Apple and Google; monitor review; handle rejections and resubmissions
- UsApple review: allow two to three weeks. A rejection restarts the clock — which is why we prepare submissions to their checklist
- YouConfirm the go-live date — the third gate. Soft launch on approval day is the lowest-risk pattern
- UsProduction deployment with monitoring; handover to ongoing support
Do not schedule a public launch until Apple approval is confirmed. We say this to every publisher, and it has never been bad advice.
Hypercare: two weeks of elevated attention
Launch day isn't when we step back — it's when monitoring steps up. For the first two weeks we run elevated-priority monitoring across uptime, purchases, DRM unlock rates and errors, with weekly check-ins while your team watches reader feedback and store reviews. A joint hypercare sign-off then moves you to standard support — with the escalation channel, per-severity SLA and coverage hours already confirmed in writing from phase five.
How we treat your store
"We will never install plugins or change your store without your approval. Wherever possible, development is done against a copy of your setup rather than your production store."
During the exploratory phase, wider access helps us scope accurately; once the implementation is settled, access is locked down to only what the integration needs.
Know your readers.
Grow your community.
Own your future.
Own your reader relationships, keep 85-100% of your margins, and stop paying to re-acquire your own fans.